Pharmaceutical Tablet Imaging and Analysis

Modern commercial drug tablets consist of two basic structural parts: the core and coating layer. The core  contains a mixture of pharmaceutical ingredients with a number of inactive ingredients .In nutshell , a tablet is a mechanical system consisting of various bonded functional and structural parts. The  distribution of  pharmaceutical ingredients  as well as the properties of its coating layers play critical roles in defining its performance as a drug delivery device.

A structural defects can affect the primary therapeutic functions of a tablet. Both structure and defects of a tablet as well as its mechanical properties are closely related to the manufacturing processes employed in its production.

AEP Optical Profilometer was used to study surface roughness and defects of tablets from different batches in production. Defect study was also done before and after simulating transportation of tablets.